Rock of Ages

Type:
Year Established:
1908
Existing:
Yes
off shore lighthouse
Download:
File Type:
jpeg (image/jpeg)
Photo Date:
2009
Photo Credit:
Thomas Tag
Photo Courtesy of:
US Lighthouse Society Archives
Collection / Donor:

LOCATION

Location:
OFF ISLE ROYALE/LAKE SUPERIOR
Latitude:
47° 52'
Longitude:
89° 18.8'
City / Town:
HOUGHTON
U.S. State:
Michigan
Location County:
KEWEENAW
Country:
United States

OWNER & ACCESS

Open to Public:
Yes
Light List Data:
  1. Rock of Ages
Light list data courtesy Gary Riemenschneider

STRUCTURE

Year Tower Established:
1908
Tower Construction Material:
STEEL/MASONRY/CONCRETE
Tower Foundation:
CONCRETE PIER/STEEL CAISSON
Height of light above mean high water, in feet:
130
Height, in feet, from base of structure to center of lantern:
117
Tower Shape:
CYLINDRICAL
Fog Signal Building?:
No
Keeper's Quarters?:
Yes
Year Keeper's Quarters:
1908
Keeper's Quarters Style:
INTEGRAL TO TOWER
Keeper's Quarters Construction:
STEEL/MASONRY/CONCR
Other Structures:
NONE

OPTICS

Active Aid to Navigation?:
Yes
Current Optic:
190 MM
Original Optic Type:
SECOND ORDER, FRESNEL
Year Original Lens Installed:
1910
Private Aid:
No
Year Automated:
1978
USCG Access to Optics:
No
Comments:

Historical Information:

Rock of Ages is situated two and a half miles west of the Isle Royale and is literally a strip of rock. Due to the location of the rock a base station was established in Washington Harbor. Using a lighthouse tender, Amaranth, loaded with cement and stones, the concrete base was poured. When the tower arose from the rocky base, it was capped with a temporary third order Fresnel lens with a fixed red light. The tower was eight stories in height with accommodations for four keepers.

  • 1908: Site established and construction began using a steel caisson.
  • 1910: A 2nd order Fresnel lens was installed and lit on September 15.
  • 1933: The SS George M. Cox ran into the reef. The keepers of Rock of Ages rescued all 125 crew aboard the ship and they all spent the night in the light, sleeping wherever they could find the room until the Coast Guard was able to retrieve them the following day.
  • 1978: The lighthouse was automated.
  • 1985: The Fresnel lens was removed and replaced with a modern optic. The 2nd order lens is on display at the Windingo Information Station in the Isle Royale National Park. The light station is part of the Isle Royale National Park but is not open to the public. It remains an active aid to navigation.
Entered by:
t.wheeler
Entered Date:
Jul 21, 2017